The Meaning of Being Brave
by FictionWriter91
Summary: 10 years earlier, Austin Ames let Sam Montgomery walk out of his life because he hadn't been brave enough. Now, Austin is a police officer in Los Angeles in the search and rescue department. When he gets caught up in a dangerous case involving human trafficking and a journalist witness who needs protection, Austin gets thrown into his past and learns the meaning of being brave.
1. Chapter 1

**10 Years Earlier**

"Diner girl! Diner girl! Diner girl!"

Austin looked over his shoulder to see Sam standing there crying hard. She was looking at him, begging him to stand up for her. He felt his father's eyes burning into his face, demanding to know what this whole skit was about. Instead of standing up and saying something, he let it go. He was just as hurt that Sam hadn't told him who she was. When he turned to look at Sam again, she was gone.

...

"Waiting for you is like waiting for rain in this drought: useless and disappointing," Sam finished. Austin stared at her. He wanted to be brave like her, but it just wasn't in him. She turned and left the locker room, leaving him feeling sucker punched in the gut.

...

"Austin! Austin! Austin!"

The crowd was chanting. Austin looked to see Sam walking away from the game. A part of him screamed at him to give up the game and go after her, but the other part was too afraid. If he let his father down, wasn't that worse? Sam was braver than him. She always would be. She deserved someone who could be brave enough back for her. He watched her turn to look at him one more time, and then she disappeared into the crowd. Austin took in a shaky breath and got ready for the last play. Sam would find someone worthy of her. It just wasn't him.

**1 Year Later **

"What do you mean you're giving up football?" his father asked, stunned. His tone had anger in it as well.

"I want to do something meaningful with my life, Dad. Throwing a ball around just doesn't do it for me," Austin explained. His father picked up the pamphlets on Austin's bed. He was home for the summer, and when fall came, he was going into another direction.

"You want to be a police officer?!" his father exclaimed, dropping the pamphlet in disgust.

"For starters. Eventually I'd like to get into the FBI," Austin explained. His father snorted.

"You think you're cut out for that, do you?"

"I'm different now than I was a year ago," Austin said, jutting his chin out. It was true. After losing Sam, something inside him had snapped. Why did he pretend for the sake of the people in his life? Why did he never stand up for what he wanted? That was all about to change. It was too bad Sam had already left for Princeton and never came back. Austin frequented Hal's Diner, but she never visited. Rhonda always gave him a sympathetic look.

"I don't understand," his father started, scratching the back of his head.

"I'm not asking you to. I'm asking you to believe in me and support me," Austin cut him off. His father sighed loudly.

"All right. I think you're making a big mistake, but fine. I will support you."

"Thank you," Austin said. He knew his father missed his mother terribly. After her accident, he had become a little more controlling of Austin's life as though he felt he needed to make it safe and secure. How playing football was deemed safe (Austin had seen all sorts of terrible injuries to other players) Austin would never know. His father left, and Austin smiled to himself. If only Sam could see him now.

**9 Years Later **

"I don't wanna do this," Cassie moaned, banging her head on the passenger side window. Austin looked over at her and smirked. His German Shepherd search and rescue dog, Diego, was in the back panting with a smile as well.

"It's a school project presentation," Austin commented. "It's not the end of the world."

"It might as well be," Cassie muttered irritably. He reached over and opened the door for her.

"Come on. You got this. I have total faith in you," Austin said. Cassie gave him a look before rolling her eyes. She slid out of the seat reluctantly.

"See you after school," Austin winked.

"Suck it," she said back.

"Jar," he ordered, holding out his hand. Cassie sighed loudly and slapped money into his hand. He had started an "Attitude/Swear Jar" for her to help her break the habit of being saucy and foul mouthed. He wasn't quite sure where she had gotten some of her language, and it appalled him sometimes. It was a work in progress.

"How do I know that is going to go in the jar and not pay for your lunch?" she demanded.

"You can trust me," Austin smiled innocently.

"I know exactly what's in that jar," she said, pointing at him. "I will count when I get home, and if that's not in there, you'll pay."

"Fair enough," he nodded. She turned to leave, and Austin felt a little sorry for her. School presentations were never his favorite either.

"Ready for work, buddy?" Austin asked Diego, who gave a slight woof in return. Austin had excelled to search and rescue, and for now, he was all right with it. Maybe someday he'd work on his FBI dream again. He got to the office in record time, and he let Diego hop out and trot alongside him. The dog didn't need a leash. He was so well trained even Austin was shocked sometimes. He didn't always do just search and rescue. He did some detective work part time as well. Diego was just a bonus in that department when he sniffed out the bad guys.

"Officer Ames," a coworker, Andy, said while high fiving him.

"It's Detective Ames actually," Austin corrected.

"It just doesn't have the same ring to it," Andy commented.

"What's up?" Austin asked, changing the subject.

"Well, we got a lead on the Garzinger case," Andy said, handing him a folder.

"What kind of lead?" Austin asked, opening it.

"A tip came in saying that some female journalist witnessed something Garzinger did. What it was, we don't know. We gotta bring this broad in."

"Do we have a name for her?" Austin asked, bristling inside. Andy was so crass sometimes.

"Ella Prince," Andy told him. Austin stared at him.

"Are you serious?"

"It's a pseudonym of course," Andy snorted. "I don't blame her. Why put your real name out there for the bad guys to find you? Of course, it's not the case for her right now, but she is messing with some very powerful people."

"Let me guess, I'm to bring her in?" Austin asked, shutting the file.

"Yup."

"All right. You got an address?"

"No."

"So how am I supposed to find her?" Austin asked incredulously.

"You're the detective, man," Andy snorted. "Use your little dog and find her." He turned to go, and Austin gritted his teeth. Andy had been jealous of Austin getting the detective promotion over him, and he was letting Austin know it every chance he could. Austin released the breath he had been holding and looked down at Diego.

"Let's go find her then," he said. He'd start where she worked.

...

Austin left Diego in the car when he went into the office. He approached the receptionist carefully. She snapped her gum as she looked up at him.

"Yes?" she asked, annoyed.

"I'm looking for Ella Prince?" he asked.

"She's not in," she answered, going back to her computer screen.

"Do you know when she'll be back?" he asked.

"Sorry, no."

Austin felt frustrated then. This woman wasn't even looking at him anymore.

"Look, I am Detective Ames, and I need you to be helpful and tell me where I can find Ella," Austin said, showing his badge to her. She stared at it.

"Well, I wouldn't want to obstruct justice," she commented. She rifled through her drawer until she found a notepad and pen. Austin watched her write.

"Here," she said, handing it to him. "That's her home address. Make sure you leave me out of it when you tell her how you found her."

"Will do. Thanks," Austin said, tipping his head at her. He tucked the paper into his front pocket as he walked back to his car. He ruffled Diego's fur as he put the car into drive and set off. He drove slowly when he came to the neighborhood he was looking for. He saw the condo building and stopped.

"This is it," he said, putting the car in park. "Stay." He felt the hairs on his neck stand up when he entered the building, but he kept going. He found the right condo number and knocked. He could hear rustling inside, but no one answered the door.

"L.A.P.D.," he called through the door. "Open up!"

"How do I know you're the real police?" a female voice came back. Austin smiled to himself.

"I have a badge."

"Anyone impersonating a cop would have a fake badge to go along with it," the voice reasoned.

"I can assure you I am not impersonating a cop," Austin told her.

"That's exactly what they would tell me," she said back.

"Look, I know you're into some trouble, and I'm here to bring you into witness protection," Austin explained. "That's all."

"Right, and you're really the bad guys telling me this so I'll let you in, and you'll shoot me."

"Ella, open the door," Austin ordered. He was growing impatient.

"See? A real cop would know my real name," she said back. Annoyed now, Austin tried the door, and it surprisingly opened. He was just as shocked as she was, but he recovered fast.

"And a person afraid for her life would not leave her door unlocked," Austin started to say. Then he caught sight of the woman standing before him. She was staring back just as stunned.

"Austin?" she asked.

"Sam?!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you Jeanne Hawkins, Guest, and white collar black wolf for your reviews and support! I'm always nervous posting a new story and seeing what others think. Here is chapter two. I am going to activate a trigger warning just in case. I don't get too graphic with bad scenes, but I know sometimes just mentioning stuff can be triggering. Happy reading!**

* * *

"Austin?" Sam asked again. Austin felt as though his vision was being compressed. He felt light headed too.

"S-Sam," he repeated. Ella Prince. Of course. Prince would be for going to Princeton, and Ella was probably from that whole Cinderella thing from high school. Why she would use that, he had no idea.

"Is this a joke? What are you doing here?" Sam demanded. She shut the door and locked it this time, turning to face him. "How did you find me?"

"I'm a detective, Sam. I find people," Austin answered, leaving out the receptionist as promised.

"You're serious right now?" she asked, crossing her arms. "You're a police officer?"

"Yea, I am."

"Prove it," she ordered. Austin reached for his badge and I.D. and handed it to her. She looked at it, frowning.

"I thought you wanted to be a writer?" she asked, looking up at him then.

"Things change," he answered. He noticed her condo then. "Going somewhere?"

"Yes, not that it's any of your business," she answered, moving past him and shoving his I.D. back into his hand. He tucked it away as she finished packing her suitcase.

"You can't leave," he said stupidly.

"Yes, I can."

"No. You're in danger. I'm taking you to witness protection."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," she said, stopping and looking at him again.

"Look, high school was a long time ago," Austin started, which made her burst into laughter. He stopped, confused.

"You think this is about high school?! Austin, come on. If you were some other random cop, I still would not be going with you. It has nothing to do with some stupid thing that happened at high school," she finished. Austin noticed a hitch in her voice at this.

"What did you see, Sam?" he asked. She tightened her mouth and didn't answer. She carried on with her packing.

"Sam, let me help you."

"No, Austin. I can take care of myself. I always have, and I always will," she said, snapping the suitcase shut. She set her backpack on top of it. Austin watched as she went to do a circle check for things she had possibly forgotten. He went to the window and looked out.

"Nice view," he commented.

"It's why I bought it," she answered in the background, still looking around. He noticed a car pulling up then, and he could hear Diego start to bark madly. Austin stiffened, knowing that the men who got out of the car were up to no good. He saw them shield their eyes and look up at him, and he stepped back quickly.

"Sam?" he called.

"What?" she snapped. "I'm busy here."

"Sam, we gotta go," he said, rushing to the door.

"What?" she asked.

"Two guys who look like hitmen just pulled up outside. You're coming with me right now," Austin ordered. For once, she looked a little scared. She went for her suitcase and backpack.

"Leave it," he said. She glared at him and put the backpack on anyway. He pulled out his gun.

"Is that necessary?" she asked.

"It might be," he replied. "Come on." She reluctantly followed him to the hallway. He could hear voices in the stairwell. Sam pressed the elevator button, and, thankfully, one was right there. They got in, and the doors closed just as the stairwell doors opened. Austin holstered his gun again, sighing in relief. He hated public gun fights and avoided them as much as he could.

"I have to get something from the office," Sam said suddenly. He looked at her.

"I'll get it for you later," he promised.

"No, I have to get it myself."

"I am more than capable..." he began.

"Unless you want to cut off my thumb and take it with you to open the case my evidence is in, then no, I'm going with you," she cut him off.

"All right," he said. "But we have to move fast. If they haven't already been to your place of work, then they will be shortly."

"Then you better step on it," Sam reasoned opening the car door. Diego stuck his nose through the seat, sniffing.

"Diego, back," Austin commanded, shutting the door behind him and starting the car.

"Cute dog," Sam commented, following suit. She hugged her backpack to her closely. Things were starting to spiral out of control, and she wasn't sure how to stop it.

...

"I still don't know how they found out where I live," Sam said as they parked outside her office and got out.

"Not everyone is bad at finding people, Sam," Austin said. "Unless your receptionist is not as good as you at determining who is a fake cop versus a real cop."

"She told you?!" Sam exclaimed, annoyed.

"It was really easy," Austin smirked. She huffed as they opened the door, but they both froze instantly.

"Oh my God," Sam said, covering her mouth. Austin felt sick. The receptionist he had been referring to was now on the floor dead.

"So they were here first," Austin said, swallowing. He focused on breathing. Sam rushed ahead of him.

"Sam!" he hissed, pulling out his gun again. He caught up with her and yanked her back.

"What?!" she snarled.

"You don't just rush into a crime scene," Austin told her angrily.

"I'm not touching anything. I'm getting my evidence," Sam argued, pulling out of his grasp. Austin hurried after her, seeing a few more bodies lying on the floor. These men meant business, and it made Austin afraid for Sam then. He could see she was fighting not to cry as she fumbled to open her desk drawer.

"No," she moaned, rooting around furiously.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's gone," she answered, looking at him. "They took it."

"But they can't get into it right? You said you need your thumb print to open it," he reasoned.

"And you don't think they haven't lifted my print off of something by now? If not here then at my place?" she challenged.

"Right," Austin nodded. Of course. Why hadn't he thought of that himself? Sam made him lose focus it seemed.

"Sam?" a voice croaked. Sam whirled to see her friend Jack on the floor.

"Jack!" she cried, bending down to him and pulling him into her arms. He was covered in blood. Austin stood back, not sure what to do.

"Sam," Jack said again.

"What happened?" she asked urgently.

"They came looking for you. They took your stuff," he managed to say.

"I know. It's okay. They don't have it all," Sam told him. Austin perked at this. What was she talking about? He eyed her backpack then. She wouldn't go anywhere without it, so he figured whatever she was referring to must be in it.

"I'm sorry," Jack said, coughing.

"Just rest. Austin is calling for help," Sam said, giving Austin a meaningful look. He nodded and pulled out his phone.

"Hang in there, Jack," Sam begged as he closed his eyes. She could hear Austin giving the dispatcher their location and what had happened. She was still stunned to see him as a cop. She figured he would be a rich and famous big shot football player by now.

"Sam, we have to go," Austin said once he had hung up. Once Sam was reassured that Jack was still breathing, she set him onto the floor gently and stood up.

"Where? How can you trust that there isn't someone on your team orchestrating this?" Sam gestured.

"There isn't," Austin reassured her. "Come on. You're not safe here."

"Austin, I have proof that police officers are involved in this," Sam said angrily. "Why else do you think there's a huge bounty on my head suddenly? I have been working on the Garzinger story for as long as you've probably been trying to solve it. Why now, Austin? Why try to kill me now, huh? Think!"

"Is that the evidence you have?" Austin demanded. "Is that what you saw?"

"Yes, Austin."

"I don't believe you."

Sam growled and unzipped her backpack then, pulling out her camera. She flicked through some photos until she rested on one.

"Here," she said, shoving it into his hands. "Look for yourself."

Austin looked at the image and felt shocked. There was Andy himself shaking hands with Garzinger while two other officers stood in the background.

"This doesn't prove anything," Austin said, handing it back to her. Sam pulled out her recording device and hit play.

"'We've got your back, Garzinger. You got that shipment for us?'" Andy's voice asked.

"'It's on schedule.'"

"'Great. Here's the address. You'll find them there waiting.'"

"'Nice doing business with you,'" Garzinger said.

Sam clicked it off, staring at Austin. He felt even more sick.

"How did they find out you were there?" Austin asked eventually.

"I got caught sneaking out, but I got away."

"So, they don't know that you have this recording?" Austin asked. She shook her head.

"No. They just think I took notes."

"And that's what they think is in that locked case then?"

"Yes."

"All right. Well, we obviously can't go to the station now, can we?"

"I'll be a sitting duck there," Sam nodded. Austin rubbed his neck hard. This was getting complicated. Why had Andy requested Austin to bring Sam in? Why hadn't he gone himself? Unless he was trying not to be involved in it to throw off suspicion. Austin felt confused. Then, another fear hit him.

"Cassie," he murmured.

"Who?" Sam asked, hearing him.

"Come on," he ordered, tugging on her arm.

"What about Jack?" Sam asked, looking back. They heard sirens then.

"They'll get him. He'll be all right," Austin reassured her.

"How do you know?"

"I just do. Come on, Sam, we gotta go." He had to get Cassie out of school before Andy figured out he was harboring Sam and knew about his involvement.

* * *

**As always, don't forget to leave a review :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for reviewing! It motivates me to keep writing :) Here is another chapter for you.**

* * *

Austin hurried up the school steps, leaving Sam in the car with Diego. Sam felt curious. So he had a daughter. Of course he would have a family by now. She wondered what his wife was like. She hoped it wasn't Shelby. Austin definitely could do better than Shelby. Sam fingered her backpack absently as Diego panted behind her. She had honestly never expected to see Austin again. She looked around the car to see very little that would give her a clue into Austin's life. He kept a neat car. Imagine that. He did help his father run a car cleaning business for years. It must have rubbed off on him. She smiled to herself. If only Rhonda could see her now. Rhonda had told her every time Austin had come to the diner. Sometimes she had even been there but had been hiding. She didn't want to see Austin. She didn't want to hear his apology or wonder about any "what ifs." Their history was over. She saw him return then with a girl beside him. She looked to be 13.

"This is incredible, Austin," the girl said, getting in beside Diego. "I didn't have to do my presentation!"

"Glad you're excited about that," Austin said, shutting his door and taking off. Sam wondered why this girl called him Austin and not Dad. It was intriguing. Sam caught sight of another sedan pulling up to the school as they turned the corner. Austin saw it too.

"Where are we going to go?" Sam asked him.

"I have a safe place," Austin answered.

"Aw, you mean we can't go home first?" the girl asked.

"Sorry, Cassie," Austin apologized. "Remember how I prepped you for cases like this?"

"So what did you do?" Cassie asked Sam, leaning forward. Sam opened and closed her mouth, the girl's forwardness was taking her off guard.

"Sam, meet Cassie," Austin laughed a little. "She can be a little intense."

"Intense is my middle name," Cassie told her casually.

"Um, hi," Sam said awkwardly.

"Wait, Sam? As in _Sam,_ Sam? _The_ Sam?" Cassie asked. Austin cleared his throat, giving her a look.

"_The_ Sam?" Sam asked him, hiding her smirk. So he hadn't forgotten about her completely then.

"Cassie doesn't know what she's talking about," Austin said.

"Don't you cry over losing her at least once a week?" Cassie asked.

"Cassie!" Austin shouted.

"What?" Sam asked, laughing now.

"I stupidly told Cassie about what happened to us, and she brings it up way too much," Austin explained.

"So what happened to us, Austin?" Sam asked.

"Hey, we have a car following us," Cassie interrupted, craning to see. Austin looked in the rear view mirror and saw that she was right.

"Damn it," he muttered. Sam twisted in her seat to see.

"What now?" she asked, her other question forgotten.

"Austin, are we gonna die?" Cassie asked.

"No, Cass. We are not going to die," Austin answered. He swallowed then, hoping that he was right. He lurched the car forward, making both girls grab onto something to stop from flying about. He shot through an intersection and quickly pulled into an alleyway and barrelled down it to the other end, making a sharp right and going back around. Sam kept looking for the car, but eventually it was gone.

"Clear," Cassie said. Austin released the breath he had been holding. He suddenly pulled into a car wash just to get off the road and out of sight for a bit.

"Reminiscing are we?" Sam asked.

"I need time to think," Austin answered. He didn't want anyone following him to his safe house. He didn't know where else to go. He didn't even know who at the station wasn't involved in this.

"We need a different car," Sam pointed out. "They obviously can find you in this one."

"She's right," Cassie nodded. "They're probably already waiting for us at the safe house too, Austin." Austin sighed. Cassie read way too many mystery and crime novels.

"And what do you suggest? I'm not stealing someone's car," Austin said impatiently.

"We don't have to," Sam said. "We're right next to the diner. I can ask Rhonda to borrow hers."

"She wouldn't mind?"

"Not if it meant saving my life," Sam answered.

"All right," Austin nodded. "Let's do it." Once the car wash was over, Austin pulled out front and parked. He looked around carefully, and when he didn't see anyone watching, he got out. The others followed. Austin kept Cassie in front of him as he followed Sam over to the diner. It had been a long time since he'd been there, having given up on Sam ever being there again. Rhonda stared in shock when she saw all of them come in together.

"Sam?" she asked, giving her a look.

"Rhonda, I need to borrow your car," Sam said instead.

"Why?"

"I'll explain later."

Rhonda was taking in Austin wearing a police uniform and a teenage girl standing beside him with a German Shepherd eying up a customer's plate of bacon.

"Are you in some kind of trouble?" Rhonda asked, finding her voice.

"I will be if you keep holding us up," Sam replied. "Keys, Rhonda."

"All right, all right," Rhonda said, handing them over.

"We'll talk soon," Sam promised, heading out. Austin waved at Rhonda, who stared back. She watched as the entire procession left the diner. She wondered just what the hell was going on.

...

"Okay, where to now?" Austin asked as Sam drove away from the diner.

"I thought you said you had a safe place?" she asked.

"I don't trust that it hasn't been compromised by now," Austin replied, knowing Cassie was probably right. Sam pinched her lips together.

"Don't cops always have a plan?" she asked.

"Hey, I'm doing the best I can here considering," Austin snapped. "You just told me that my own teammates are in on this. I'm still processing. I don't know who to trust."

"All right, chill," Sam said. "I know where we can go." She made a turn, checking to make sure they weren't being followed. No one was behind them.

"So, where are we going?" Cassie asked.

"To a friend's," Sam answered. Austin looked at her.

"Not who I think it is," he said. She glared at him.

"Yes, and it will be perfectly safe."

"I somehow doubt that."

"You don't pay attention to things, do you?" Sam asked, snorting.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see soon enough," Sam replied, smirking. They pulled up to a mansion with a gate at the front. Security guards squinted at them.

"Sam here to see Carter," she said.

"Who are your friends, Sam?" the one guard asked.

"My new boyfriend and his daughter," Sam lied quickly. "I want them to meet Carter."

"All right. Come on in," the guard said, opening the gate. Austin gaped at her as they drove past it.

"What?" she asked.

"That was awesome," Cassie hooted from the backseat. Austin said nothing as they climbed the hill to the mansion. Sam parked and got out. Austin got out and stood there staring at everything.

"Carter lives here?" he asked, finally finding his voice.

"Wait, is this Carter Ferrell?" Cassie questioned, growing excited.

"You know him?" Austin asked her.

"He's like the best sitcom actor ever!" Cassie cried.

"Don't you watch TV, Austin?" Sam asked.

"Um, no," Austin shook his head. "I solve crimes for a living. I don't have time for TV."

"Well, Carter got recognized for his talent way back in high school when he did that acne cream commercial," Sam said. "He has his own show now and everything."

"Wow," Austin murmured.

"SAM!" Carter shouted, rushing down the steps to greet her. "Sam! How are you?!"

"I'm good, Carter," Sam laughed, hugging him back.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God," Cassie was chanting.

"Settle down," Austin told her, nudging her. Carter held Sam at arm's length, examining her.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "I can tell something is wrong."

"It's been a rough day," Sam replied truthfully. Carter caught sight of the others then.

"Wait," he said. "Is that...Austin Ames?!"

"Hey, buddy," Austin waved. Carter came and shook his hand.

"Wow. Long time no see," Carter said, pumping Austin's hand up and down. "Good to see you."

"And you."

"And you are?" Carter asked, looking at Cassie.

"I'm Cassie. Huge fan of yours," Cassie replied, barely keeping it together.

"Well, come on in. Astrid is waiting to see you."

"You guys stayed together, huh?" Austin asked, surprised. Astrid had been the morning announcer at their high school, and her sarcasm drove the school staff crazy, but she did have a good sense of humor.

"Of course. We're soulmates," Carter answered.

"Oh my God. I'm in Carter's house," Cassie said as they went inside. Austin put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed, hoping to prevent her from spazzing out from excitement.

"Make yourself at home," Carter said.

"Can I talk to you first, Carter?" Sam asked, staying standing.

"Of course. This way," Carter said, leading her to his office. Austin and Cassie remained in the living room with Diego. Austin wondered what Sam was telling him. Everything just felt so surreal. He didn't know what to think.

...

"So, spill!" Carter said once they were alone. "Austin Ames?!"

"I'm in trouble, Carter," Sam cut him off. He grew concerned then.

"What's going on?"

Sam started to cry. She had managed to keep it together so far after seeing her coworkers dead in the office, but now it was sinking in.

"Sam? What's wrong?" Carter asked.

"I saw things I shouldn't have seen, and now they're trying to kill me," Sam managed to say through her tears.

"The Garzinger case?" Carter asked in a hushed voice. He knew she had been working on it. Sam nodded. "What did you see?"

"I saw cops there, Carter. They saw me, and I ran for my life. I was packing to leave when Austin came to get me."

"Since when is Austin a cop?" Carter asked, confused.

"Stay focused," Sam ordered, clearing her throat and stopping the tears. She had to keep it together.

"Right. What's the plan then?"

"I have no idea. I have to get someone to see this evidence before I'm killed."

"You're not going to die," Carter said firmly. He felt nervous, though.

"The odds are stacked pretty high against me," Sam responded. She tried not to feel afraid. She knew taking on this story meant risk. She just hadn't realized how serious of a risk until now.

"Well, isn't that what Austin is for?" Carter asked. "He is a cop. He can take your evidence and solve this case."

"It's not that simple," Sam said in a hushed voice.

"Why not?"

"I didn't show him yet, but his captain is a part of this too. Austin will be in the same danger as me if he brings that in," Sam finished.

"My head hurts," Carter moaned, gripping it.

"Is it all right if we stay here until we figure out a plan?"

"Of course! Geez, Sam, I'm not going to let you get killed," Carter told her.

"Thank you. I have to talk to Austin now," Sam said, moving past him. Carter stood there feeling as though he had been struck by a whirlwind.

...

"I'm sorry. Cassie got Astrid to show her the place," Austin said when Sam returned. His brain had been on overload.

"That's fine. I need to talk to you anyway."

"If you know when and where all of this is going down, then all we have to do is bring in the FBI and it's over."

"How do you know none of them have been compromised?" Sam asked.

"I don't, but damn it, I have to trust someone. I can't do this alone," Austin said angrily. "I can't get a hold of my captain either."

"Don't call him," Sam blurted out. Austin met her eyes.

"Why not?" he asked carefully.

"He was there too," she answered quietly.

"Oh God. Is my whole freaking station in on this then?" Austin exploded.

"No! There were only four of them," Sam replied, reaching out to touch his arm comfortingly. They both froze at her touch.

"Only four?" he asked, feeling strange with her hand on his arm.

"Yes."

"Andy and my captain are two. Do you know who the other two are?"

"No, but you might," Sam answered. "I'll get my camera."

"Thanks," Austin said as she released him and went for her backpack. He felt shaky and nauseous. He didn't know who to call if he couldn't call his captain. Well, there was one person, but he didn't know if it would end well if he called them.

"I'm sure your boss has a boss," Sam said as she returned, reading his mind. "You could call them."

"She kind of terrifies me," Austin admitted. Sam couldn't help it, but she giggled a little at this.

"I'm sorry," she said, seeing his face.

"I'm serious, Sam. I've seen her rip officers up and down like nothing over simple stuff. I think she'd flat out murder him over this."

"Well, he'd go to jail at least," Sam corrected.

"Not if she got to him first," Austin sighed. "She might try to say I'm in on it too." He didn't want that accusation. He also didn't exactly trust anyone from his station anymore. He was going to have to go higher up. Sam flipped through her photos and showed him the other two men.

"Russell and Peter. Seriously?" Austin said, looking at them. They had always seemed like decent guys.

"I'm sorry, Austin," Sam said sympathetically as he handed the camera back to her.

"Well, that explains how they knew about you so fast," Austin said. "I wondered why Andy wouldn't tell me where the tip had come from."

"So what do we do now?"

"Let me think. I'll get back to you," Austin said, moving away to a quieter spot. Sam watched him go, and she wondered what he was going to come up with when he came back.

* * *

**Don't forget to let me know what you thought :)**


	4. Chapter 4

"Wow that kid is wearing me out," Carter commented as he sat down beside Sam in the living room. It was getting late, and Austin was saying goodnight to Cassie in the one of many guest rooms Carter had. Astrid had turned in already.

"She's pretty smart for her age," Sam noted.

"So, is she Austin's?"

"I...I don't actually know," Sam mused. She had so many questions for Austin, but she didn't know how to approach him.

"Is it bringing up everything again?" Carter asked. She raised a brow at him.

"From high school? No, Carter. I'm pretty much over that."

"Are you sure? You were pretty hurt by it," Carter gestured.

"I'm over it," Sam said firmly.

"Okay," Carter said, holding his hands up defensively. He knew she was lying. It was all over her face.

"Rhonda says hi," Sam told him.

"She still at the diner?"

"Yea. She's my partner remember?"

"Right."

"Hey, Sam?" Austin cut in, appearing in the doorway. They both jumped, startled.

"Yea?" she responded.

"Can we talk?"

"Sure."

Sam got up, and Carter gave her an encouraging smile as she passed. She felt weird around Austin alone. It had been so long since she had seen him. He had changed so much. His hair cut closer to his head now, and he had a five o'clock shadow. Of course, she was a bit different too. Her hair was shorter, and her face had become more narrow as she got older.

"I think I have it figured out," Austin said once they were alone.

"Okay."

"I have a connection in the FBI. Someone who I know has been working on this case."

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Sam asked.

"Because," Austin sighed. "I was doubting that they wouldn't be just as dirty as my teammates."

"What changed your mind?"

"I know in my heart of hearts that she wouldn't do that," Austin answered. "And I have to trust my gut on this one." Sam felt a twinge then. She? His connection was a woman? Of course Austin would have friends and coworkers who were women. What was the matter with her? He was probably seeing someone anyway.

"Okay, great. Call her," Sam encouraged.

"I did. It went to her voicemail."

"Oh."

"She's probably busy with her kids. I'm not worried," Austin said. He was trying to convince himself more than Sam that this was true. He was worried.

"So, now what do we do?" Sam asked.

"Get some sleep," Austin answered.

"Right," Sam nodded. She felt herself deflate a little. She had wanted to talk to him about other stuff, but of course he would keep this on a professional level. Why would she think otherwise?

"Good night," he said, moving to go to his room.

"Good night," Sam said back. She was curious as to why she felt so disappointed. After all, she had convinced herself she didn't care about him when she had walked away from the game that night and never looked back.

**10 Years Earlier **

"Carter, I can't do this," Sam said, feeling sick suddenly. Everyone was chanting Austin's name, and Shelby was bouncing down there in her little cheerleading outfit looking smug. She had been telling everyone that she and Austin were almost back together. Sam believed it.

"All right. I'll tell you how it ends," Carter told her, giving her hand a squeeze. Sam got up and began pushing her way through the crowd. She felt suffocated. She had to get out. She didn't know why she had even stayed to watch. What had she been hoping for? She looked back over at the team huddle to see Austin watching her. Her heart skipped a beat. Was he going to come after her? Would he tell her that he did actually care about her and that he was sorry? She waited, but he didn't move. Feeling heart broken, she turned and walked away from the stands and out to her car. He didn't follow. Sam started to cry as she drove away. She had really thought that her speech in the locker room would have made him come around. Well, if he didn't care, than neither would she.

**Present**

Austin couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned, his thoughts rampant on everything that had just happened. He was in the same building as Sam again, which felt strange. How long and often had he thought of her and where she was, what she was doing? He had avoided talking to her like a coward. And here he had thought he was a lot braver now that it was 10 years later. Apparently he still wasn't. He guessed he just didn't want to face all that hurt again. He had overheard her telling Carter she was over it, but he knew she wasn't. If he was still thinking about it, then she had to be too. After a few hours of rolling around restlessly, he got up. It was warm outside as he walked out onto the balcony. He had to admit that Carter had done very well for himself. How Austin had missed Carter being a famous actor was beyond him. He chalked it up to the fact he didn't watch much TV or keep tabs on the stars.

"Couldn't sleep?" Sam's voice interrupted his thoughts. He jolted to attention, seeing her leaning against the railing.

"No," he answered.

"Me either."

"Lots on your mind?" he asked.

"Yea."

"I'd offer Diego to help you sleep, but he only sleeps with Cassie," Austin said wryly. Sam laughed a little before it got quiet again.

"Does your wife or girlfriend know you guys are okay?" Sam asked carefully. Austin knew she was digging, but he didn't mind.

"It's just the two of us," Austin replied. "No wife or girlfriend."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"No need to be sorry. It's only ever been the two of us."

"I don't understand," Sam said, confused. Austin leaned against the railing beside her.

"I found Cassie," he offered.

"Found her? Where?"

"Diego and I were investigating something entirely unrelated when I got the call about a domestic. I was close by, so I went. By the time I got there, Cassie's parents were both dead."

"Oh no," Sam gasped.

"Diego found Cassie hiding behind the couch. She was only seven at the time."

"She must have been so scared," Sam said.

"She was. I got her out of there, and when I learned she had no family of any kind, I wanted to take care of her. I signed up to be a foster parent just for her, and she's been in my care ever since," Austin finished.

"No adoption?" Sam was curious.

"I've offered, but Cassie hasn't said yes or no. I think she doesn't really want another Dad, you know? I think she just wants a friend who takes care of her or an older brother type of thing."

"It was sweet of you to take her in," Sam said. "How old is she now?"

"Twelve going on thirteen. More like twelve going on twenty," Austin laughed.

"She's pretty smart."

"She is."

"I have to admit I am surprised you are not married," Sam said, diving right in.

"I just never found the right one," Austin responded, looking at her. "And what about you?"

"Oh, I've dated a few guys, but they were either intimidated by me or couldn't handle my job, so it's just me."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'd rather be alone than with some guy who can't handle me being me," Sam said. Then she bit her lip, realizing what she had just said.

"Right," Austin said, getting it.

"I'm sorry," she told him, echoing his from earlier.

"It's okay."

They didn't say anything for a moment until Sam couldn't take it anymore.

"What happened to us, Austin?" she asked softly. "I had this hope that after my speech in the locker room you'd somehow wake up and become the real you. I was crushed when you didn't."

"I know," Austin said, bowing his head. "I chickened out. I almost did. I was very close to leaving it all behind and chasing after you, but I couldn't do it. I wasn't brave like you were, Sam."

"And what about now?" she asked hesitantly.

"I like to think I'm a lot braver now," he answered.

"I'll be honest and say I did not feel very brave when I was at the office today," Sam said, her voice breaking a little.

"It's a shock to see people you care about like that," Austin offered. It had taken him a long time to get used to seeing someone dead.

"I feel responsible."

"You are not."

"But if I had been there, they would still be alive," Sam argued, wiping at her tears.

"You can't know that."

"I say it's true," Sam said stubbornly. She started to cry harder then, and Austin couldn't help himself. He pulled her into his arms to console her. He flashed back to her crying at the pep rally, and he wished he had done this for her then to help her feel better. Why hadn't he? He had let his own hurt prevent him from caring about her. He heard a whine at the screen door then and saw Diego standing there.

"Sorry," Sam said, pulling away and sitting down.

"It's all right," Austin responded. "The only other reason Diego leaves Cassie at night is if someone is upset. He's really in tune to that." He opened the door, and Diego immediately went over to Sam and placed his head on her knees, whining. Sam rested her hand on Diego's head and scratched fondly.

"What made you decide to be a police officer?" Sam asked after a moment. Austin drew in a breath, but he knew he was going to tell her. He had never told anyone.

"At my first year of college," he started. "I got caught up in a drive by shooting."

"Oh my God, Austin," Sam gasped. She let him continue.

"I watched this police officer chase after that car until he shot their tires and brought them to a stop. His partner had called for back up, and somehow they managed to contain the situation. I remember standing there thinking that I wanted to help people like that. I felt the adrenaline rush, and it was so much different from playing football."

"Did anyone get hurt?" Sam asked.

"A gang member did. I think that was the whole reason for the drive by. I jumped on this poor old woman to get her out of the way, and I remember her just thanking me over and over again. I didn't even really know I was doing it, you know? It was like a reflex. I figured if I have this kind of instinct, maybe I should be looking at a different career. So I chose police officer."

"Where does Diego fit in?"

"They asked me if I was interested in search and rescue, and I was. I got to train Diego from a puppy. He and I have done lots of good work together," Austin answered, ruffling Diego's ears affectionately. He got a "hmph" in response from the dog.

"It sounds like you made the right call for your career, Austin," Sam smiled.

"And you? I mean, you became the writer," he laughed. "I did not see that coming."

"Well, it's not poetry or fiction, but it's writing," she replied. "I just like uncovering truths, you know? I like keeping people informed."

"I have to admit that I did wait for you at the diner a lot,"Austin confessed.

"I know," Sam nodded. He raised a brow at her.

"How?"

"Rhonda," Sam blushed.

"So you were avoiding me," Austin noted.

"I just didn't know what to say," she said honestly.

"Well, for someone who doesn't know what to say, you certainly said a lot just now," Austin pointed out.

"I'm pretty sure you did most of the talking," she laughed.

"You asked the questions!"

"I miss our talks," Sam said once they stopped laughing.

"Me too," Austin agreed.

"I should try to sleep," she sighed. She stood then, giving Austin one last look. "Thanks for the chat."

"Hey, Sam," he said as she reached the door. She turned.

"Yea?"

"For what it's worth, I'm really sorry I didn't stand up for you, for us, and I'm really sorry I didn't come after you the day of the game. I think things would have been different for us," Austin finished.

"Maybe this was the way it was meant to be," Sam said, tilting her head at him. "Good night."

"Good night."

Austin smiled to himself in the darkness. Diego nudged his hand, bringing him back to the present.

"All right," he said. "Back to bed." He felt lighter somehow, like he suddenly had hope that he had long thought to be gone.

* * *

**Thank you to those who have been leaving me reviews. It means a lot to me. It motivates me to write more. Cheers.**


	5. Chapter 5

**My apologies for slowing down on updating this story. I got Avenger fever, so I've been writing a lot for that fandom lately. Anyway, here is chapter five. I hope you guys are still enjoying this story!**

* * *

Austin awoke to his phone ringing by his ear. He reached for it, grabbing at nothing the first few tries before locating it and bringing the screen to his face so he could see it. It was Amy, the FBI agent he had called the night before.

"Hey," he said, answering it and sitting up.

"I got your message," Amy said. "What's going on?"

"I am in a bit of a situation, and I don't know who to trust," Austin explained.

"Is it related to Garzinger?"

"Yea."

"I was worried about this," Amy sighed.

"About what?"

"Corrupted cops. That's what you're calling about, right?"

"Erm, sort of."

"It's okay. You can trust me. I'm one of the good guys on this. What have you found out?"

"It's my captain and three other from my team."

"Oh, shit."

"I know. I don't know what to do."

"Okay. How did you find this out?"

"A reporter. She's with me right now as I don't trust to leave her out of my sight."

"Okay. And where are you?"

"I'd rather not say in case people are listening," Austin answered, looking around his room.

"I can meet you wherever you want. Just name a time and place."

After thinking, Austin prattled off a location and time to her. He didn't want to bring Cassie with him or Sam, but he didn't want to leave them either. He was conflicted.

"I will see you there, and don't worry, it'll just be me. We will get to the bottom of this," Amy promised.

"Thank you."

"Talk soon."

"Bye."

Austin hung up and looked down at his phone. He had some missed texts from Andy asking where he was and why he wasn't back with the reporter yet. Austin knew they would track his phone. He hadn't thought of that. He felt stupid for not realizing it. Then again, if he ditched his phone, they'd know he was guilty of hiding with Sam. He sent a message back to Andy stating he hadn't managed to find Sam yet. He hoped Andy would believe the lie at least for a little while.

He got up and showered. He wished he had a change of clothes. It was the least of his worries right now, though. He made his way to the breakfast table where Cassie was peppering Carter with questions about the show he was starring in.

"I can't tell you what's going to happen," Carter laughed.

"Oh come on. Pleeaase?" Cassie begged.

"Cass, drop it," Austin warned. She shot him an annoyed look but stopped begging.

"Astrid says hi, but she had to go to work," Carter explained. Austin looked around.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were making her up," he teased.

"Austin!" Cassie yelped.

"It's all right," Carter laughed. "I know. She's really busy. She's a producer, you know." He pulled up a photo of the two of them smiling at some beach.

"You look happy," Austin noted.

"We are," Carter nodded. "And she loved me before I was famous."

"That's good. Hey, where's Sam?" Austin asked, noticing.

"She went to meet a friend of hers," Carter answered.

"She what?!"

"She said she'd be right back..."

"Carter, she is in serious danger," Austin said, getting up. "She can't be alone right now!"

"She said it was just down the street," Carter said defensively.

"Where?"

"At the diner," Carter admitted.

"That's a little more than just down the street," Austin growled.

"Rhonda is there..."

"Rhonda isn't prepared to face angry, dirty cops," Austin shot back, grabbing his keys.

"What about me?" Cassie asked.

"Do you mind?" Austin asked Carter, who nodded.

"Yea. She can stay here."

"I'll be back soon," Austin promised. Cassie didn't say a word, but he could tell she was worried. Austin hurried out to the car and hoped that he wasn't too late.

...

"Where's G.I. Joe?" Rhonda asked Sam as she sat down in the back office.

"He's sleeping."

"You ditched him?"

"Sort of. Not for long. I'm just trying to do something," Sam said, working on the laptop. Rhonda crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

"Do what exactly?" she asked.

"I need to save and encrypt this on another device in case..." Sam trailed off suddenly.

"In case what?"

"Nothing."

"Sam, what is going on?" Rhonda demanded.

"I saw something I shouldn't have," Sam finally answered, turning to look at her. "And they want me dead. This evidence is all I have to prove what's going on. I need to leave it here with you and take this stick back with me so they don't realize there's another copy."

"So, if something happens to you, you want me to bring it to the police?"

"Not just any police. Austin. There are cops involved in this case, Rhonda. It's a bit complicated."

"Oh sweet Lord," Rhonda said, wiping at her brow. "And since when is Austin Ames a cop?"

"It's a long story."

"Are you two...?"

"Rhonda! Please, we're professionals," Sam said, outraged. She hid her blush, though. Rhonda still caught it, however.

"Right," she nodded.

"Okay, I'm done," Sam said, unplugging her memory stick. "Thank you."

"Just stay alive, all right? Your Daddy would murder me if something happened to you."

"I'm not a kid anymore, Rhonda," Sam reminded her. Rhonda hugged her tightly then.

"You always will be to me," Rhonda sighed. "Be careful."

"I will. I'll come by when this is over."

"You better."

"I promise," Sam smiled, patting Rhonda's arm before going out to Carter's car he'd lent her. She groaned inwardly when she saw Austin leaning against it looking furious.

"I just came for coffee," she said innocently.

"Sam, do you have any idea how much danger you're in?" Austin asked angrily. Sam looked around.

"Well, no one has jumped out at me yet, so I think we're okay."

"This isn't funny, Sam."

"Where's Cassie?"

"With Carter. Come on, you and I are going to visit Amy."

"Amy?"

"My FBI friend."

"Right."

"Get in," Austin ordered. Sam got into Carter's car, leaving Rhonda her car back. Austin didn't talk as they drove off.

"You have a plan?" she asked after a while. The trees flew by them as they drove.

"I think so."

"Oh, that's good. Thinking you have a plan instead of knowing you have a plan is so much better," Sam said sarcastically.

"What happened to you?" Austin asked. "Last night you were much nicer to me."

"I'm sorry. I didn't appreciate you getting mad at me for living my life," Sam commented.

"All right. I'm sorry I got mad. I get mad when I'm worried," Austin told her, not looking at her. Sam chewed on her lip then. So he was worried about her? Interesting. She inhaled sharply when they arrived at the place her father used to bring her. You could see the majority of L.A. from there.

"Here we are," Austin said, stopping. Sam didn't say anything as he got out and walked towards the slim woman standing by a black SUV. She observed this woman. She was fair skinned but had dark hair, and she was roughly the same height as Austin. Sam put the window down a bit to hear them talking. Amy had a thick accent, but Sam couldn't recognize from where.

"That the reporter?" Amy asked Austin, nodding her head towards the car.

"Yea."

"She have the data?"

"Yea. What are you going to do with it?" Austin asked, concerned.

"I will get someone to go undercover and get your captain and friends. All you gotta do is lay low, okay?"

"For how long?"

"As long as it takes," Amy shrugged. "Sorry."

"All right. I don't want to impose on her friend for long, though."

"Take this," Amy said, handing him keys. "It's a safe house. Wait for my call there. Ditch your phones. Don't get traced."

"Okay."

"You're doing the right thing," Amy nodded, shaking his hand after he gave her the memory stick. "We will take it from here."

"Thanks," Austin said as she got into her SUV. He felt worried, though. Had he really done the right thing?


	6. Chapter 6

**Trigger warning activated for this chapter.**

* * *

Austin thought about Amy's advice as he drove back to Carter's place. Sam was quiet beside him. He did his best to believe that Amy was really on his side. If he couldn't trust her, then he really did have no one. It was all in her hands now. She had the evidence. He couldn't get it back.

"Do you think she's actually going to help us?" Sam asked, reading his mind. He hated when she did that.

"I have to hope so," he answered.

"I sometimes wish I never got into journalism," Sam sighed. He looked over at her.

"Seriously?"

"Yea. I mean, look what it's got me into. I'm being chased by dirty cops who are trying to kill me. If I had just chosen a different career path, I'd probably be somewhere else in the world right now."

"You really think so?"

"I like to think so," Sam shrugged.

"So why did you pick writing, Sam? I know you said you like uncovering truths, but what put you on that path?" Austin asked, curious.

"This is going to sound really stupid," she said, going a little red.

"I'm sure it's not."

"Oh trust me, it is."

"I won't laugh. I promise."

"Okay," she said, nodding. "I chose writing because it made me feel closer to you." She paused, biting at her lip again. She didn't dare look at him. Austin was shocked at this, and he didn't know what to say.

"I see," he said after a moment.

"See? Stupid," she said, shaking her head and looking out the window.

"No, it's not stupid. It's really sweet. I just don't think I deserved that," Austin commented. "I was a jerk to you twice. Why try to feel close to me?"

Sam hesitated. By this point, they were parked back at Carter's place. She debated telling him, but she had no idea what she would be starting if she did.

"Sam?" he prompted. She never got to answer. Gunshots went off, glass shattered, and screams hit the air. Austin threw the car in reverse, trying to get Sam out of crossfire, but he saw Cassie, and his heart stopped. He hit the brakes, skidding to a stop.

"Austin!" Sam shouted, grabbing his arm and pointing.

"I see it," he said. A masked man had a gun to Cassie's head.

"Stop the car!" the man shouted. "Give me the reporter, or the girl dies!"

"Oh my God," Austin said. He didn't know what to do. Cassie was his world, and Sam...Sam was important to him, more than he realized. Sam reached over and shut off the car. She unbuckled her seat belt.

"Sam, what are you doing?" he asked. "Let me think this through!"

"And let Cassie get killed while you waste time doing that? I don't think so," Sam said. She pushed her door open, putting her hands in the air as she walked towards the man and Cassie.

"Sam!" Austin shouted, getting out of the car. His gun was raised.

"Get back in the car!" the man bellowed. "NOW!"

"Do it, Austin!" Sam yelled at him. A dark SUV squealed in through the other gate then, and the man shoved Cassie inside while another grabbed Sam by the hair and hauled her towards it.

"No! Wait!" Austin shouted. He took a step forward. The first man swung around and fired his gun. Austin felt the pain rip right through his chest. He could hear Cassie screaming his name and banging on the glass. Sam was crying and shouting his name too. Austin tried to stay upright, but he couldn't. He fell to his knees, clutching at his wound. The blood was hot and gushing over his hand. He swallowed. The SUV screeched away as he fell face first to the pavement. So this was what dying felt like. He could hear barking then from a distance. The sound of something breaking occurred, and after a moment, a tongue was rapidly licking his face. Diego was whining above him.

"Good...boy," Austin managed to say. He wished he had put on his body armor now. He heard another car pull up, and a voice shouted his name.

"Austin!"

It sounded vaguely familiar. Austin felt himself beginning to lose consciousness at this point. Hands grabbed at him, turning him over. The sunlight was bright. It staved off the darkness for a moment.

"Oh God," Carter moaned. "Austin!"

Austin felt himself be shaken.

"Cassie," he croaked.

"It's my fault," Carter said. "I had to step out for twenty minutes. I thought she'd be okay here. I'm so sorry."

"Sam," Austin tried.

"They got Sam too?! Oh no," Carter moaned again, gripping his face. Austin managed to get a hold of Carter's sleeve.

"No...cops," he gasped.

"But...but who do I call?" Carter asked, scared. Austin knew of only one person he could totally trust.

"Rhon….da."

...

Cassie reached for Sam's hand as the SUV bounced along the road and over bumps. She was shivering with fear. They had come fast as soon as Carter had left. She had tried to defend herself. She hoped Austin would find the pocket knife with the blood on it. It would tell him who had taken her. Sam was struggling not to cry. They both were. Cassie had watched Austin fall, and she was terrified she would never see him again.

"I'm sure he's all right," Sam said. "I'm sure of it." She had to believe it. If Austin was dead, then there was no hope for either of them. She saw his anguished face every time her eyes closed. It was making her sick.

"Shut up back there," the driver ordered. There were two in the front and one in the back behind them, squatting in the hatch area with his gun aimed at the window. He braced himself on the ceiling when the bumps got too hard.

"Are you hurt?" Sam whispered to Cassie. She shook her head.

"Just my pride," she whispered back. She had been lucky enough to have thought of locking Diego into the house before going to explore. She was only going to walk the perimeter of the property, but she hadn't even made it out the front door without getting accosted. She had stabbed him with her knife quickly before discarding it by the potted plant. She hoped Austin would think to look there.

"Where are they taking us?" Cassie asked Sam quietly.

"I don't know, but I swear to you, I won't let anything happen to you."

"You can't promise that," Cassie pointed out.

"Too late," Sam responded.

"I said shut up!" the driver yelled again. "Anymore talking, and one of you is losing their tongue."

Cassie swallowed hard. Sam turned her hand palm side up and traced a letter on it. She did a few more after.

W-E W-I-L-L B-E O-K

Cassie nodded, getting it. She hoped Sam was right. She felt like she was just a bit too young to die.

...

"What happened?!" Rhonda shouted, jumping out of her car. She saw Carter leaning over an unconscious Austin in his driveway. All Rhonda had heard was "Austin" and "shot" and "Sam's missing" before hanging up and rushing over.

"They took Sam and Cassie. They shot Austin. I had to leave...I just got back," Carter said. "My fault..."

"Okay just stop right there. It's no one's fault. We gotta get him to the hospital," Rhonda said.

"No!" Carter shouted. "He specifically told me no cops or hospitals before he passed out. Rhonda, they could kill him there."

"Okay, then help me get him into the car," Rhonda ordered. She and Carter lifted Austin up and somehow managed to get him into the backseat of her car. She got back into the driver's seat with Carter hopping into the passenger seat. Diego was put in the back beside Austin. Carter didn't want to leave the dog behind, not that the dog could be separated from Austin anyway.

"You better call Astrid and tell her not to come home right now," Rhonda advised him. "Tell her to go somewhere safe."

"Okay," Carter nodded.

"You're lucky I know a lot about nursing," Rhonda said as she gunned the engine and shot the car down the driveway, barreling towards her house. There hadn't been that much blood out of Austin yet as Carter had done well to suppress the wound as per Austin's feeble instructions before passing out. At least he wouldn't need a blood transfusion. That would have caused a lot of headaches.

...

"Give me the memory stick," the man ordered, his face inches from Sam's. She and Cassie were tied into chairs now. They had been taken into a warehouse type building. Sam knew exactly where they were. If Austin was alive, he'd know where they were too. She clung to that hope.

"I would, but you've tied my hands up," Sam answered. The man struck her across the face then, making her cry out.

"Don't be a smart ass with me!" he said angrily. "Where is it?"

"Front pocket of my shirt," Sam managed to say. The man reached in, grabbing roughly. Sam gritted her teeth as he copped a feel while retrieving the memory stick. Typical.

"Excellent," the man smiled, looking at it. "Hey, boss! I got it!"

"Bring it here," the boss replied from across the room. Sam and Cassie were soon alone.

"What is on that?" Cassie asked.

"Evidence," Sam answered.

"Oh no!"

"It's all right. I'd rather they have it than hurt you."

"But...they're gonna kill us, Sam. We're loose ends. Don't you realize that?" Cassie asked. She had read a lot of books, and she had done a lot of research into crime type stuff. Austin would have killed her if he'd known. Austin. She felt tears again.

"I'm the loose end," Sam said. "You're nothing to them. You're here to make me cooperate."

"I'm dead meat, Sam. Don't lie to me," Cassie warned.

"I am so sick of you two talking," the second man said, coming back. He ripped off a piece of duct tape and put it over Cassie's mouth. Sam's was next. He shook his head, growling to himself about women and chattering. Cassie gave Sam a meaningful look, but she didn't look back. Sam knew exactly what Cassie was talking about, and once their captors discovered that there was nothing on that memory stick, that Amy had the real one, they were both going to be dead very soon.

...

Austin opened his eyes, but everything was blurry.

"Hey, just relax," a voice said. "I'm almost done."

He felt a sharp pain then, and he grunted.

"Oh, God," Carter groaned. "How are you doing this? I feel like I'm going to be sick."

"Now you know why I stuck to the diner and not nursing," Rhonda replied. Austin's vision brought her into focus then, and he cracked a small grin.

"I knew it," he said, his voice breaking up.

"Oh shush," Rhonda admonished. "Rest. You just got shot." She finished with the wound and sat back. It was good work despite her going so long without practice. Carter was green looking in the face across the room. Diego was pressed against the bed Austin was lying on.

"Where's Sam and Cassie?" Austin asked.

"I don't know. I got there after they were gone," Carter answered.

"They'll kill them," Austin said, fear making his voice wobble a little.

"Then you have to go find them," Rhonda said. "You're stitched up now. You're good as new."

"I don't even know where to start looking," Austin said.

"How about the place where Sam saw everything going down?" Rhonda suggested. Austin stared at her.

"How did you know about that?"

"She left a copy of her evidence on my computer. I unscrambled her code. She's predictable with her passwords. Looks like she was in some kind of warehouse. Perhaps you should go there."

"You're a genius, Rhonda," Austin said, getting up slowly.

"I can't shoot a gun. Not a real one," Carter said, panicked.

"I'm not asking you too," Austin said. "I'm going alone."

"But what if you need back up?"

"I have Amy. I will call her. Don't worry about it."

"You can trust her?"

"Yea," he answered. He knew it would be Andy and the others who had taken Sam and Cassie. They were men at the scene, not women. Amy assumed they were going to the safehouse anyway, not back to Carter's house. She wasn't in on it.

"Come look at it again before you go," Rhonda said, going to where her computer was. She had copied it from her work one to bring here. Austin said down carefully and went through the pictures.

"Do you know where they are?" Carter asked after a while.

"Yea," Austin answered. "I know where they are."

It was time to bring them back.


	7. Chapter 7

**Trigger warning activated for this chapter.**

* * *

Cassie opened her eyes, not realizing she had fallen asleep. She had no idea how long they had been there. She looked over at Sam only to find her missing. She panicked. Looking around the room, she saw that no one was there. Where had they gone?

"Hey!" she tried to yell around her tape. She banged the chair leg on the cement floor, making it echo in the room. No one came. She noticed something sharp looking across the room, and she started to shift herself in the chair in that direction. It was very labor intensive and draining, but she was slowly making progress. She stopped suddenly, when she caught a whiff of an odor. It made the hairs on her arms stand up. It was a familiar smell of a certain liquid, and one, if applied in certain incidents, that could be deadly. She realized what this meant.

They were going to burn the warehouse down with her inside of it.

...

Austin tore into the parking lot of the warehouse and immediately noticed there were no vehicles parked near it. He tensed. What was happening? His phone chirped, alerting him to a text message. He still hadn't disposed of his phone. What was the point now? He was going to find them either way, and if they brought the fight to him, so be it. He fumbled with his phone, pulling up the message.

**You're too late to save her. **

His head snapped up, looking to see if anyone was watching him. He couldn't see anyone. He looked back at the number. It was unknown, most likely from a burner phone. He shoved it in his back pocket and hurried to the door, gun raised. The sound of an explosion inside rocked the air. Austin felt his heart stop. Cassie and Sam were in there.

"NO!" he shouted, kicking the door in. Flames were everywhere. "SAM?! CASSIE!" He charged in, shirt pulled over his mouth. His gunshot wound was aching and stabbing pain into his nerves frequently. The smoke blinded him, and the flames were getting higher. He miraculously spotted a chair with a figure in it and ran over to it.

"Cassie!" he shouted, shaking her. She didn't respond. Giving another quick survey to the room, he did not see anyone else there. Going with his gut, he decided that Cassie was alone. He picked her up chair and all and ran out the front door. He felt his arm hairs get singed as he ran through the flames. He set Cassie down, removed the tape, and cut her loose, shaking her to wake her up.

"Cassie!"

Her eyes fluttered, and she managed to open one, looking right at him.

"Austin?" she croaked.

"Cass, I'm here," he said. She threw herself into his arms, crying. "I'm here now. It's all right."

"S-S-S-Sam's gone," she stammered through her tears. She gripped Austin tightly. "I didn't see her leave. I was asleep."

"It's all right," Austin said. He caught sight of what looked like a syringe hole in her neck, so he assumed she was knocked out on purpose with something that also made her memory foggy. He figured they hoped she would have still been asleep when she died.

"They were going to kill me," Cassie whimpered.

"I know. I'm so sorry. You should never have been caught up in this," Austin told her. He hated these men who were doing this. He couldn't believe that his own coworkers would do something like this. It was clearly a message they were sending, and Austin wanted them to pay.

"They looked foreign," Cassie said on cue. "I didn't recognize the race, but the men holding us, they weren't American."

"Garzinger's men then," Austin nodded. "Okay. You didn't see anyone you recognized?"

"No, should I have?"

"It's all right," Austin said, changing direction. Cassie didn't know about the police being involved. He didn't want to scare her any further. "Let's get out of here."

"They took a memory stick from Sam," Cassie went on as she walked to the car with Austin. He froze.

"They what?" he asked.

"They took a memory stick. She said it was evidence."

"Right," Austin nodded. He panicked inside. Amy had the real memory stick, so what did Sam give these guys? He feared what they would do to her once they discovered the truth.

...

Sam fought, but they forced her thumb onto the container that held her other evidence. It opened easily.

"Finally," Garzinger sighed, rifling through it. He looked at the photos of himself with the containers and the people shackled inside. It was his business on the side. He also moved drugs around. Sam glared at him as he looked through them all. He pulled the trash can towards him and flicked on his lighter, setting the corner of the photos onto it. It caught easily and he dropped the bunch into the trash can with the flames. Sam could smell them. She felt scared for Cassie, who they had left behind to die. She had tried so hard to fight back, but they were too strong for her. She fought to keep down the tears whenever she thought of her. Cassie didn't deserve to die like that. She could only hope some sort of miracle happened.

"So you thought you could bust me, huh? You're not so clever after all," Garzinger said, reaching to touch Sam's hair. She jerked away, and he laughed.

"You will get caught," she snapped. Garzinger had removed her tape earlier. He wanted her to talk.

"You think your hero is gonna save you and stop me? You're kidding yourself," Garzinger scoffed. "I'm gonna get a lot of money for you."

"Excuse me?"

"Did you think I was going to kill you? No, no, I have a much better plan for you," he laughed. He touched her cheek softly, and she tried to move away.

"Stop it," she ordered.

"You need to not be so uptight, sweetheart," he chuckled. He stood then, looking down at her. "Things will be better for you if you aren't. You'll be in a new place soon enough. No one will ever find you."

Sam didn't respond as he left the room. She swallowed the panic. She'd rather die than be trafficked. She had no idea how she was going to get out of this one.

...

Rhonda opened the door eagerly, searching Austin's face. It fell a little when she saw somberness in his eyes.

"Well?" she prompted.

"I got Cassie. Sam wasn't there," Austin explained. He gripped Cassie's shoulder tightly. He was afraid to let her out of his sight, but she needed to be safe.

"Do you know where she is?"

"No, but I'm going to find her," Austin answered. "I need to look at your computer again."

"What else is on there? You saw all the pictures," Rhonda said as Austin went over to sit down in front of it. Cassie went to sit down. Carter wasn't there at the moment. Austin went through all the photos again. He paused over one photo of Garzinger and his captain shaking hands.

"Where is that?" he asked, pointing at the background. Rhonda peered at it over his shoulder.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're near the harbor," Rhonda answered.

"You're right. He does his business there, so it makes sense," Austin finished for her.

"And what business is that?" Rhonda asked, alarmed.

"Not good," Austin replied. He didn't want to tell her because he had an awful hunch that he knew what Garzinger was going to do to Sam.

"Not good?" Rhonda repeated, incredulous. "That's what you're going to leave me with?! Not good?! Come on, Austin, you can't leave me hanging here."

"Sorry, Rhonda," Austin said.

"Are you going to save her?" Cassie asked, looking up at him from the couch she was sitting on. Diego had come to her instantly when they had arrived, and his head was now in her lap. Austin bent down in front of her.

"I'll bring her back," Austin promised. Cassie teared up then.

"Hello?" Carter's voice called. They all looked toward him. He was holding a bag with a knife inside of it.

"What's that?" Austin asked.

"I found it at the house," he answered. "I thought you might want it. There's blood on it."

"I stabbed the guy with it," Cassie explained. "I knew you'd need DNA evidence."

"You're really smart, you know that?" Austin said, ruffling her hair. "This will help a lot once I can find someone I trust to analyze it." He took the bag from Carter gingerly, looking at it.

"I can keep it here," Rhonda offered, eying it.

"That would be great. I'll be back as soon as I can," Austin assured them. Rhonda pulled him into a hug suddenly, startling him.

"Be safe," she said. "Sometimes I just see you as a teenage boy. It's hard to watch you be all grown up with a gun no less."

"I'll be all right," Austin responded. He hoped he wasn't lying. He really didn't know what he was getting into. He hugged Cassie goodbye as well, and Carter reached to shake his hand.

"Come, Diego," Austin said. He needed help finding Sam, and Diego was his best shot at that. Cassie reluctantly let go of the dog, and together they walked out to the car. Diego hopped in before Austin, and he shut the door, giving Rhonda's house one last look. They were standing in the window, watching him. He waved, and then he drove off. He really hoped he would be coming back.


	8. Chapter 8

**Trigger warning activated for this chapter.**

* * *

"He's not going to come back," Cassie whimpered after Austin was gone. Both Rhonda and Carter turned to look at her.

"What do you mean, baby?" Rhonda asked gently.

"There's too many of them. He's going to be alone. He won't make it."

"Is there really no one else he can call for help?" Carter asked.

"I don't know," Rhonda said, giving him a meaningful look. Somehow she just knew that Cassie didn't know everything.

"What will happen to me? I don't want to go into the system," Cassie said tearfully.

"I'll look after you," Rhonda promised.

"But...you don't even know me."

"That doesn't matter. I know Austin, and I'd do anything for his family," Rhonda said, putting her arm around Cassie, who hugged her back. Rhonda wondered where the girl's mother was, but she didn't ask.

"I told Astrid to meet me here," Carter said. "I don't think my house is safe anymore." He had felt unnerved going back there. He had gone to make sure Astrid hadn't come home early, and he was glad in the end that he had because he'd found that knife.

"All right. Hopefully I'm not connected to Sam by these idiots," Rhonda sighed. She prayed that Austin ended this thing and soon.

...

"Amy, it's me," Austin said into his phone. "Garzinger has Sam at the harbor. I'm going in to get her. I'd really appreciate some backup. Call me when you get this." He hung up and gripped the steering wheel tightly. He never wanted to let Sam down again. He had wanted to make up for everything that had happened when they were younger, but not like this. He parked a block away and turned off the car. He tried to regulate his breathing to calm himself.

"It's just an ordinary procedure," he told himself. "You can do this." It wasn't his first raid or bust, but it was his first time doing it alone. Diego made a noise behind him.

"I know. I'm not completely alone," he said, scratching Diego's ears. "We gotta be 100 percent today, okay? We gotta find Sam." He saw her purse on the floor in the passenger seat, and he reached for it.

"Smell," he ordered Diego, who obliged. After a moment, the dog turned his head, scratching at the door.

"All right," Austin said, getting out and letting Diego out as well. "Find!" Diego burst forward, and Austin ran behind him. He only hoped he wasn't too late.

...

"Let's go," the man said, roughly pulling Sam up out of the chair. She wondered if any of the dirty cops were there yet or if they had been told to stay away. She was led out to another room where Garzinger was sitting at his computer, squeezing a stress ball calmly in his left hand. Sam swallowed. He had probably just realized her memory stick was empty. She did not have a plan to get out of this.

"A decoy memory stick," Garzinger said, reading her mind. "Smart. Unfortunately, it means bad repercussions to you."

"Do your worst," she sneered. She was resolved to the fact that she was going to die here or be sent away, and she preferred death.

"You will regret saying that," he pointed out. He stood up slowly, and Sam felt a little afraid then. He gestured for his men to hold her still, and picked up the hammer that was on the desk beside him. Sam struggled as they forced her hand down on workbench and held her still.

"I ask you once, and if you don't tell me where the real memory stick is, I break a finger," Garzinger said. Sam just glared at him.

"Relax, boss," a voice said behind them. "I got it." Garzinger smiled, setting down the hammer.

"I knew I could rely on you," he said. Sam tried to twist to see who it was, but she was held fast.

"Have I ever failed you? I'm sorry I wasn't in touch sooner. I had to make sure I was alone. You can put her away for now. You don't need her anymore," the voice continued.

Sam was half dragged, half pulled away, and she finally got to see who was speaking. Her heart dropped at the sight of the person smirking back at her.

Amy.

...

"Easy, boy, easy," Austin said to Diego, who was outside a building and panting hard, whining every so often. Austin knew Sam was in there. Amy did not call him back, so he knew he had to do it alone. He went to open the door carefully when the click of a gun cocking sounded in his left ear.

"Long time no see," Andy said casually. "Put the gun down." Austin obeyed.

"Now tell your dog to beat it," Andy ordered.

"Diego, car," Austin said. Diego looked at him anxiously, unsure of what to do.

"I will shoot him," Andy told Austin.

"Diego, car, NOW."

Diego gave a soft whine before reluctantly trotting back to the car. Andy pulled Austin's arm behind him and pushed him forward.

"I can't believe you're in on this," Austin said as they walked.

"Well, sometimes you do what you gotta do," Andy replied. They approached a well lit room, and Austin could see a bunch of armed men standing around. A woman had her back to him, and the man he knew to be Garzinger was talking to her. He couldn't see Sam anywhere.

"Found a sneak," Andy called. Garzinger looked at them and smiled.

"Austin Ames," he said. "I hear you've been trying to catch me."

"And I will," Austin promised.

"Ha! You think you're so brave," Garzinger said, shaking his head. "But unfortunately for you, no one knows you're here."

Austin swallowed. This was true. Rhonda knew he was at the harbor, but she didn't know the exact location. He also knew she didn't know who to trust to begin with to call and get help for him.

"So you're gonna kill me, is that it?" Austin asked, stalling. He was looking all over for a way out, but he wasn't seeing one.

"Yes," Garzinger answered. "In a minute. I have some stuff to take care of first." He took the memory stick from the table and put it into his laptop. Austin watched him erase everything before removing it and stomping on it. He turned to the woman, who still had her back to Austin, and nodded. She finally looked over at Austin, and he felt the world stop moving. Amy. His so called trusted colleague Amy. She was in on it too. He had no idea what was going to happen next.

...

Rhonda was pacing the house. She hadn't heard from Austin, and she was preparing herself for the worst. If something happened to Sam, Rhonda would never forgive herself. Hal had trusted her to look after his daughter after his death, and she had let him down. Rhonda would give anything to go back in time and encourage Sam to do anything else but journalism.

"It's not your fault," Carter said, knowing this was what she was thinking. Astrid was talking with Cassie and trying to distract her in the other room.

"Of course it is, Carter," Rhonda sighed. "I should have been more involved and knew what was going on."

"Then you'd probably be dead right now," Carter pointed out.

"Maybe. Maybe not."

"I'm scared too," Carter admitted. Sam was his best friend, and a life without her just seemed bleak and dark. He really hoped Austin would bring her back. Rhonda went over and hugged him tightly, rocking them back and forth.

"Just pray," she whispered. "It's all we can do now."

...

Sam was being led to a large shipping container. She couldn't believe that this was how it was going to end. She looked at the man leading her there, and she decided she was going to fight back. Remembering some of her self-defense classes, she kicked at the back of his leg, making him go down. She smashed her bound hands into his skull and kicked at his throat. He cried out, but she kicked him again and kicked the gun out of his hand. He pulled out another, and she closed her eyes when she heard a gasp and the clatter of the gun hitting the ground. She opened her eyes again to find a man standing there with a silenced pistol in his hands.

"Who are you?" she asked. She recognized him from somewhere, but she couldn't place him.

"Not important," he answered. He went and untied her. "Get out of here." He shoved her towards the road, and she fled. She wasn't going to be asked twice. She ran until she spotted a familiar car with a dog sitting in front of it. She froze.

"Austin?" she called. She went over to it, but he wasn't inside. Diego pawed at her, whining.

"Where is he?" she asked the dog. "Where's Austin?" Gunshots went off, making her head whip up to look towards the building. She just knew he was inside. She had to save him. She quickly opened the passenger door and rifled through the glove box. She found an extra gun and loaded it. Rhonda would be sick to know that Sam knew how to operate a gun. She had learned just in case.

"Come on!" she shouted to the dog, racing back towards the building. Diego was hot on her heels.


	9. Chapter 9

**Trigger warning activated for this chapter.**

* * *

Austin had no idea what was happening. Garzinger had looked at Amy and said:

"Put him down."

Then Andy was forcing him into a chair, but he put Austin's gun back into his hands, squeezing his shoulder lightly as he moved away. Austin was confused. Amy marched towards him, not breaking eye contact with him, her gun raised. When she got closer, she mouthed:

"Go with it."

He stared, feeling completely frazzled now. She pulled the trigger, sending the slugs into the wall behind him, and he realized what she wanted him to do. He cried out in fake pain and clattered to the floor, hiding his gun under his stomach.

"Ditch the gun. Get out of here," Garzinger ordered. "I'm leaving with the girl. I'll be in touch in a while." He made to leave when the door burst open.

"STOP!" Sam shrieked. She managed to get one shot off into Garzinger's leg, making him howl. Diego started barking then, and chaos ensued. Garzinger's men shot back at her, making her duck for cover and scream. Amy and Andy burst into action with Amy leading a limping Garzinger away. Andy waited for them to disappear before shooting at Garzinger's men, taking them by surprise. Austin leaped to his feet then, helping. In no time, it was quiet.

"What is going on?" Austin demanded once the room was clear.

"We're trying to take down the captain and Garzinger. We were so close, but your friend here blew it," Andy said.

"Wait, you're undercover?!"

"Yea."

"And Amy?!"

"She is too. We've been a long time putting this together. You two got in the way. All you had to do was go to protective custody. It was that simple," Andy said angrily.

"Things got out of hand, and I'm sorry that I believed all my teammates were dirty cops," Austin glared.

"We had to make it believable, Austin. The captain had to be convinced he had turned us. We were not to talk about it with anyone outside of our group," Andy explained.

"Boss?" Peters called, coming in. He was the one who had freed Sam, who by now had resurfaced from her hiding spot. She watched them all carefully, still unsure of who was on who's side.

"Where's Russell?" Andy asked Peters.

"He's on the boat. It was almost finished. What happened in here?!" Peters asked, incredulous. He looked at the dead men on the floor in surprise.

"A miscommunication happened," Andy sighed. Then he looked at Austin. "You two need to leave."

"I'm taking him down with you," Austin argued. "I've been on this just as long as you have. Don't take this away from me." He and Andy stood squared off to each other. Austin wasn't going to back down without a fight, and Andy knew it.

"Fine, but stay low. Garzinger still doesn't know we're not on his team. We are waiting for the captain to arrive before we bust them, so don't move until my signal," Andy ordered after contemplating what to do. It was better to just let Austin stay involved than have him show up anyway without a plan.

"Fine," Austin agreed.

"Come on," Andy said to Peters. They charged out together after Garzinger and Amy. Austin looked over at Sam.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I just...I didn't..."

"It's fine, Sam," he cut her off. She lowered her head a little. "Stay here. Do not come after me. Got it?"

"Okay," she nodded. She hadn't wanted Austin to die. Did he not see that? She wasn't used to seeing Austin in this kind of situation. The fact that he took charge and was organized was interesting to watch.

"I'll be back," Austin told her.

"Wait, what about Cassie?" Sam asked. She had to know. Austin's face darkened for a moment, scaring her, but then it cleared.

"She's all right. She's with Rhonda and Carter."

"I was so scared. They just left her there..."

"And they're going to pay for it," Austin finished for her. He gripped his gun tightly. Sam swallowed, biting her lip.

"Please be safe," she implored.

"I will. Diego, come," Austin said. The dog surged ahead. "Stay with me. On me." Diego obeyed, trotting as close to Austin as he could without tripping him. Sam watched them disappear through the door before returning to her hiding spot. She didn't want to risk getting shot at again in his absence.

…

"Where are they?" Garzinger demanded, wincing. Amy was binding his wound tightly. Garzinger was furious. How had this even happened? How had that girl gotten away? And how had that cop discovered where they were? He looked at Andy and Amy suspiciously. Was someone betraying him?

"They got away," Andy said. "I don't know what happened, sir."

"Find them," Garzinger ordered. "Find them and bring them back to me. There can be no loose ends, do you hear me?"

"Loud and clear," Andy nodded. He caught sight of Austin hiding up above. He hoped Garzinger wouldn't see him.

"Where are my crew?" Garzinger asked, craning his neck.

"There was a shootout, sir. That cop got them."

"Bastard. I called in back up. They should be here soon."

"Good to go," Amy said, standing up. Garzinger looked at his leg and nodded, satisfied. Andy felt fidgety inside. More back up? This wasn't good. Where was their captain, Bruce? Why wasn't he there yet? If they let Garzinger get on that boat, they would never find him again.

…

Sam hid and waited. She heard footsteps rapidly approaching, and she peeked to see more of what appeared to be Garzinger's helpers running to where the others had gone. She held her breath, waiting to see if they'd notice their fallen comrades. To her surprise, they didn't seem to. Sam wondered how cold you had to be in order to not recognize a dead person lying there. She wondered if she would be better in the car waiting. After a moment of no one else going by, she decided to leave. She made it to the door when a hand grabbed her shoulder.

"Well, what do you know? The world's snoopiest reporter," a voice said. Sam jerked her head to see who it was. Her heart sank.

It was Austin's captain.

…

Austin wished Diego would breathe quieter. They were pressed to the floor of the catwalk, watching the others down below. He saw Andy keep peeking up at him, so he knew he wasn't as well hidden as he'd hoped. Footsteps alerted Austin to more visitors, and he saw five more of Garzinger's men come out to join them. Then, to his horror, his captain appeared, and he was hanging onto Sam.

"Damn it all to hell," Austin muttered. Why hadn't she stayed hidden? Even Andy looked concerned for a brief moment.

"Look what I found," Bruce said. Sam struggled against him.

"And here I thought I'd lost my prize for good," Garzinger chuckled.

"What are we doing with her?"

"Shipping her overseas."

"I think a bullet would be better," Bruce argued.

"Perhaps, but don't you want her to suffer forever for what she's done?" Garzinger prompted. "She almost exposed you."

"You've erased everything?" Bruce asked, changing the subject.

"Of course."

Andy, Peters, and Russell stood by the side, observing. Amy was hovering behind them. Bruce surveyed them all.

"You were so good," Bruce started, looking at Amy. "So good that you almost had me convinced."

"What are you talking about?" Andy asked, looking alarmed. Bruce handed Sam over to Garzinger's men. He stepped slowly towards Amy, who swallowed nervously.

"I'm not sure what you mean," she said.

"You are not one of us," Bruce commented. He pulled out his pistol.

"Hey! Whoa!" Andy shouted. "What are you doing?!" Bruce looked at him calmly.

"Tying up loose ends," he answered. He raised his pistol towards Amy. Austin leaped up then, and he fired off a shot into Bruce's shoulder. He cried out, and Amy bolted. Austin rushed to the stairs with Diego behind him. Andy, Peters, and Russell raised their guns at Bruce.

"It's over," Andy said. "You're under arrest."

"Garzinger is getting away!" Austin shouted. Indeed, the leader was making a breakaway for the boat with three of his men behind him. Russell charged after them, firing off shots. Bruce shot at Andy and Peters, who ducked. He took off with the other two men and Sam. Shots were fired from them back at Andy. Diego sprinted ahead and launched onto one of the gunmen, who fell. Austin was on him instantly, disarming him and making him go unconscious.

"Get Garzinger," Austin ordered Andy and Peters. "I got Sam."

"You're not going alone after him," Andy argued. "Peters, go after Russell. We'll meet up after."

"Got it," Peters said, turning to run. Andy and Austin hurried after Bruce. They found him standing at the end of the dock. Sam was lying on the ground where he'd thrown her. Andy began fighting with the other gunman while Austin trained his gun on Bruce.

"It's over," Austin said. "There's nowhere to go from here."

"I didn't give you enough credit," Bruce said. "You have more skills than I realized."

"Why are you doing this?" Austin asked.

"There's not enough money in police work, son."

"So that makes it okay to deal drugs and enslave girls?" Austin demanded angrily. Bruce shrugged.

"If that's what it takes."

Austin slowly made his way towards Sam, who was panting in pain. He wasn't sure where she was hurt. He couldn't see any evident gunshot wounds on her.

"There was no need for you to have gotten involved," Bruce went on. "It makes what I have to do that much harder."

"You don't have to do anything," Austin argued.

"Oh, but I do," Bruce disagreed. Austin was about a foot away from Sam. He saw Bruce raise his gun at her, and he didn't even think. He had failed being brave for Sam once; he wasn't about to fail her again. He lunged and threw himself in front of her, and he felt the slugs hit him three times. He collapsed.

"Austin!" Sam shrieked. More gunshots went off, and she saw Andy standing over Bruce, who was now on the ground dead. Sam moved to hover over Austin, and he looked back up at her.

"Austin," she said. "Are you okay? Austin!" He didn't respond. Andy rushed over and bent to look at him.

"He's in trouble," Andy said. He pulled out his phone, calling for EMS. Sam felt very scared.

"Austin," she cried, clutching at his face. "Austin?" He looked like he was trying to say something to her, but the words were not coming out.

"Put pressure on that," Andy ordered, joining her. He handed her his long sleeve shirt, and she pushed it into the wound. The other two wounds were bleeding, but they hadn't hit vital organs. This one had hit his gut, and the blood was gushing fast. Sam's hands were shaking.

"Andy?" Peters called, running up to them. He stopped short at the sight of Austin on the ground.

"Garzinger?" Andy asked him.

"In custody. What happened?"

"Bruce went to shoot her. Austin intervened. I shot Bruce," Andy explained, gesturing.

"Shit," Peters said, his voice sounding worried. Sam could barely focus. She was too terrified for Austin.

"Is h-h-he g-going to d-die?" she asked, teeth chattering from shock.

"Just keep pressure on it," Andy instructed, deflecting her question. Peters and Andy shared a look over Sam's head. The truth was: he had no idea if Austin was going to make it.


	10. Chapter 10

Sam sat desolately in the hospital waiting room. She ignored the blood on her clothes. She felt numb and distant. All she could see was Austin's face looking up at her. He had been trying to speak to no avail, but she had read his lips.

_Be brave._

She hugged herself tightly. How could she be brave? There was a chance he was going to die. She hadn't even told him that after all these years, she still loved him.

"Sam?" Rhonda's voice called, making her look up. Rhonda came into view with Carter in tow. They had left Cassie at Rhonda's place much to her dismay.

"Sam!"

"Rhonda," Sam said, choking. She stood, and Rhonda enveloped her into a tight embrace.

"Oh, Sam. Are you all right?" Rhonda asked.

"I'm scared."

"What happened?" Rhonda pressed, pulling back a little. She took in the blood and gasped. "Are you hurt?!"

"No. It's Austin," Sam whispered.

"Austin?" Carter repeated, alarmed. "Where is he?"

"He's in surgery," Sam answered.

"What happened?" Rhonda asked again.

"He saved me," Sam told her. "His boss was going to shoot me, and he jumped in front of me."

"Oh, sweet Lord," Rhonda said, covering her mouth with her hands. Sam started to cry. Carter tried to comfort her the best he could. Austin's father, also named Andy, appeared at this moment.

"I just heard," he said. "Where is he?"

"In surgery."

"Excuse me, Mr. Ames?" a doctor asked.

"Yes, that's me," Andy said. "Is my son okay?" Sam and everyone else stood watching and waiting. The doctor breathed in and out slowly. Sam felt her throat tighten. If Austin died, she would never forgive herself for not listening to him and staying low, for making him have to save her.

"Austin is still in critical condition. We have done surgery and removed all the bullets. It really is just a waiting game right now to see if he pulls through," the doctor finally replied. Sam felt her knees give out. Carter caught her elbow before she fell to the floor. Rhonda covered her face with her hands. Andy Ames stood there looking shell shocked.

"He...he might not make it?" he asked.

"I'm very sorry."

"But...but don't they wear protective vests? How did this happen?"

"It is my understanding he wasn't wearing his vest at the time," the doctor explained. "Like I said, we've done all we can do."

The doctor's name was paged, and he bobbed his head at Andy and hustled off. Andy sank down in the chair slowly, processing.

"Can we see him?" Sam asked, her voice wobbly.

"I don't care what they say," Rhonda said firmly. "We're going to see him." She charged ahead with Sam hurrying behind her. Carter stayed back, but Andy jumped to his feet and jogged after them. Rhonda found Austin's room in no time, and all three of them stood staring at the figure lying on the hospital bed. Austin's eyes were closed, and he had cuts on his arms and face.

"Son?" Andy said, going over to him. Austin didn't open his eyes or respond. Sam clutched at the hem of her shirt. Where was he? Why wasn't he responding?

"I think all we can do is wait," Rhonda said to her quietly. Andy was crying now, holding Austin's hand.

"I want him to know how sorry I am," Sam told her.

"I think we should give them some space," Rhonda advised, backing out of the room. It hurt her to see a parent crying over their unconscious child. Sam reluctantly followed, but she sat in the chair in the hallway instead of returning to the other waiting area. Rhonda sat beside her and held her hand tightly. She was just as afraid as Sam was. What if Austin didn't recover?

...

Cassie was sick of waiting. She had to know what was going on. She disobeyed Carter and Rhonda's order of staying put and headed for the hospital. Cassie knew that was where Austin was because Rhonda had told her he was hurt and taken there. Cassie had a bad feeling that Austin was in worse shape than that. She hated when adults lied to spare feelings. She preferred straight up honesty, like what Austin gave her. She kept her tears in check as she went inside the hospital. She didn't want to blubber all over everyone. She had to be strong for Austin.

"What are you doing here?" Rhonda said, making her jump. She spied the woman standing by the vending machine.

"I'm sick of you all treating me like a child. I'm old enough to handle problems. Hell, I've had a rough start to life, so nothing surprises me anymore. Tell me the truth. Is Austin okay?"

Rhonda sighed, knowing Cassie was right. She did deserve to know.

"He's still in critical condition right now. We don't know what is going to happen."

"So he could die?" Cassie asked, the tears coming now. Rhonda went over to hug her tightly.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart," she murmured. Cassie started to sob then, and Rhonda just held her.

...

Sam saw Andy slip out, and she took the opportunity to go inside the room. Her heart still caught at the sight of Austin lying there motionless. She pulled the chair close to him and took his hand in hers. It was still warm, which was comforting.

"I'm so sorry, Austin," Sam began. "For everything. I'm also sorry for walking away ten years ago and giving up on us so easily. I'm sorry we never got a chance to see if we could have a relationship. I'm sorry I got you so hurt..." She trailed off, starting to cry now. She rubbed at her eyes, but the tears still came.

"I really, really wish you'd wake up right now so I could tell you that I love you. I want you to know that I never stopped thinking of you, and I almost tracked you down so many times. I don't know what held me back. I guess I thought you might still be hanging onto what happened in high school. I really wish I had just done it now. We could have had so much more time together."

She inhaled shakily. Austin still didn't open his eyes.

"I'm trying so hard to be brave. I am. What I really need, though, is for you to wake up. Please, Austin, wake up."

Sam squeezed his hand hard, hoping that it would snap him out of it. Nothing happened.

"Sam?" Cassie's voice said behind her. She turned to see the girl standing there looking small.

"Hey," Sam replied. Cassie came over slowly, and she held her hands together tightly.

"He looks so small," she commented. Her voice was thick with emotion.

"I know," Sam nodded. They both watched Austin until Andy returned. No one said a word. No one had the heart to talk about what would happen if Austin died.

...

Carter was back in his home. Astrid was watching him carefully as he sat in the living room with his head in his hands.

"I can't believe it," Carter kept saying. "I just can't. How did this even happen?"

"I know," Astrid nodded. "It's such a shock. I mean, Austin Ames a cop? Austin Ames on the verge of life and death? I can't wrap my head around any of it."

"Sam will be devastated if he dies," Carter murmured. "She will blame herself forever."

"If he makes it, then maybe that will be the wake up call those two need to get on with it already," Astrid commented.

"I'm sure that is the last thing on Sam's mind right now," Carter said.

"Don't be so sure," Astrid responded. She patted Carter's shoulder and kissed his forehead gently. He watched her go to the kitchen and out of view. Was she right? He couldn't be sure. He just hoped that for everyone's sake that Austin woke up and soon.

**Night**

Sam had difficulty sleeping in the chair in Austin's room. Her neck was stiff, and her legs were asleep. She noticed Andy had left for either something to drink or just a break from sitting and watching his son hang onto life by a thread. Rhonda had gone home and had insisted that Cassie come to get a good night's sleep. Cassie had put up quite the fight, but Sam had promised profusely that she would call Cassie immediately if something happened. Austin's coworkers had said they had Diego, so Sam didn't worry about the poor dog being left alone. Sam shifted in the chair, and then Austin's monitor went off. She was boltright awake now.

"Austin?" she said, fearful. Nurses came running. A doctor wasn't far behind. No one seemed to notice Sam in the corner, watching. Words were thrown around like "coding" and "arrest." Sam was terrified.

"What's going on?" Andy asked, panicked. He had returned from his walk.

"Sir, you need to leave," a nurse said.

"But..."

"Now," she said firmly, pushing him back. Sam knew if they spotted her, they'd throw her out too. It didn't take long.

"Miss, you have to leave," the same nurse said after spying Sam in the chair. Sam stood on shaky legs and hobbled across the floor. She was transfixed by all the staff surrounding Austin. What was happening? She sat beside Andy, who was crying now. Without saying a word, she reached for his hand, and they held onto each other while the sound of the defibrillator whining and going off carried on in the background.


	11. Chapter 11

Rhonda woke Cassie up gently by shaking her.

"What's happened?" Cassie demanded.

"We gotta go to the hospital," Rhonda answered.

"Why? What's wrong? Rhonda, please tell me," Cassie said, starting to cry.

"Just come," Rhonda said. Cassie followed her to the car feeling like it was going to be the worst moment of her life next to finding out her parents were both dead. She couldn't take anymore death. She just couldn't.

...

Sam stood when Rhonda approached her. Cassie tried to read her face, but she couldn't.

"Are you okay?" Rhonda asked. Sam nodded.

"His dad is in there now," she replied.

"Will someone please tell me what is going on?" Cassie demanded. She was scared.

"Cassie Girl?" a voice asked. Sam smiled as Cassie lurched forward into the hospital room where Austin was sitting and grinning.

"Austin!" she cried, wrapping her arms around him tightly.

"Ah, don't squeeze too hard," Austin groaned. The pain from his wounds was still fresh. Andy was standing back and smiling. It was a miracle Austin had survived. They had been terrified the doctor was going to come out and tell them Austin had died, but he had pulled through.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again," Cassie warned. Austin laughed.

"I'll do my best."

"That's not good enough."

"Nice to see you too," Austin commented, ruffling her hair.

"I'm gonna go get something to eat. Do you want anything?" Andy asked.

"I'm okay," Austin answered. He knew his father had been terrified. He felt bad for putting him through it.

"Sam's outside," Cassie said, sitting on the chair next to him.

"Yea?"

"Yea."

He hadn't seen Sam yet. He wondered why she was keeping her distance.

...

"Go in there," Rhonda ordered.

"I can't," Sam shook her head.

"Why not?"

"Because it's my fault he's in there. He probably never wants to see me again," Sam said, crossing her arms. She knew she was probably being irrational, but a big part of her was afraid to see him herself. Had he heard her confession? Would he feel the same way? If he didn't, she knew she couldn't take the rejection. Perhaps it was better not knowing what could have been.

"So you're just gonna leave and never look back?" Rhonda asked.

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Sam! You can't do that to him. That boy loves you."

"How do you know that?" Sam asked.

"By the way he looks at you. Come on, Sam. You know it's true."

They were farther down the hallway so Austin couldn't hear them. Sam didn't want to intrude on his time with Cassie or his father. She had held herself back from rushing in there to profess her love, but now she didn't know what to do.

"Sam..." Rhonda said, her tone with a slight warning to it.

"I can't do this," Sam responded, turning to run away. Rhonda called after her, but she didn't stop. Sighing loudly, she turned to go into Austin's room. He smiled at her when she came in.

"Told you I'd be okay," he said.

"You didn't have to give me the heart attack first," Rhonda retorted. She went in to hug and give him a kiss on the cheek.

"Scars impress people," Austin commented, smirking. Rhonda rolled her eyes.

"Where's Sam?" Cassie asked. Rhonda noticed Austin was wanting to know the answer for that too.

"She had to go," Rhonda replied.

"What? Why?"

"She had some things to take care of."

"She can't face me, can she?" Austin asked, getting it. She would rather run that face him. That hurt.

"I think she just needs someone to go after her this time," Rhonda said, raising a brow. She knew all about what had happened on that football field ten years ago. Austin flushed.

"I'm kind of strapped to a hospital bed," he gestured.

"You won't be forever."

"Point taken."

"See to it that you do because I don't want to have to whup your butt if you don't," Rhonda threatened. He held up his hands in mock defense.

"Yes ma'am," he nodded. His father had returned by then, and everyone was talking now. He wanted to get out of there and find Sam. He had to talk to her, and if she rejected him, then at least he'd know.

...

A few hours later, Austin was visited by his teammates Andy, Russell, Peters, and Amy. They stood around his bed after the typical salutations to one another. Andy had released Diego, who was whimpering and trying to climb onto the bed with Austin. The dog had been given special permission to come in after some cajoling with the doctor and nurses.

"It's good to see you too, buddy," Austin laughed, rubbing Diego's ears.

"Sorry we couldn't tell you," Andy said after a moment.

"It's all right," Austin replied.

"Thank you for saving my life," Amy said. She had never been more grateful to hug her children when she had gotten back home. She had asked for some desk duty for a while to recover from everything.

"Thank you for not really shooting me," Austin laughed. She smiled back.

"You gonna be all right?" Peters asked, gesturing to the area where he'd been shot.

"Yea. They say I'm lucky."

"Well, it all got sorted. Too bad Bruce couldn't face his charges and prison time, but I think maybe death is just as good of an outcome for him," Russell commented. "Garzinger will do life, though."

"I can't believe we finally got him," Austin said. "But next time, you let me in on it, all right?"

"All right," Andy agreed. They bumped fists.

"Hey, Cassie stabbed one of the guys who took her..." Austin started.

"It was one of Garzinger's men we killed. We've got it," Andy told him. "Rhonda gave it to us."

"What happened to the reporter?" Amy asked, curious.

"She went on her way," Austin replied. He knew they didn't know his history with Sam. There was no point in bringing it up.

"All's well that ends well I suppose," Andy commented. "We'll leave you to get some rest."

"Thanks for coming in, guys," Austin nodded. They said their goodbyes and left. Andy took Diego with him until Austin was released. Austin waited for Sam to come back, but she never did. He hoped that by the time he got to her that it wasn't too late.

**A Few Days Later **

Sam had almost gone back to the hospital multiple times, but she didn't know what was holding her back. She had finished writing her story for her editor. It was going to be published soon, and everyone would know what had happened in the Garzinger case. She always felt a sense of relief after finishing a story, but not this time. It had caused so much trouble and angst that she felt that maybe it shouldn't even be told. She was in her condo getting ready to make dinner when there was a knock on her door. She froze at first, wondering who it could be. After everything, she still sometimes expected someone to jump out at her and kidnap her again. She was considering talking to a therapist about it.

She checked to see a shoulder but not the person's face.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"An old friend," came the reply. She closed her eyes briefly. Austin. Of course he'd come to her. She did want to see him, though, which explained why her heart was starting to act crazy. She opened the door, and he stood there looking at her.

"Hi," she said.

"You left," he countered. She pressed her lips together.

"I know," she nodded.

"Why?"

"I just...I just didn't want you to be mad at me," she said, moving to let him in. He shut the door behind him and stood watching her.

"Why would I be mad at you?"

"I didn't listen. I almost got you killed saving my life. I just assumed."

"Well, stop assuming."

They looked at each other for a moment.

"So why are you here?" she asked finally.

"Because I thought that after everything we just went through we could at least be friends again," he answered. He wanted more, but he thought he'd start with friends first.

"Can we?"

"I don't know. Can we?" he asked, putting it back to her.

"I asked you first," she pointed out.

"I think we can, but I also think that there's more to it than that," he noted. Sam knew what he meant, and she wondered if he knew she felt the same way.

"Like what?" she questioned, making him say it first.

"I'm not going to tiptoe around this anymore," he said. "Sam, I've always cared about you. I'm sorry I didn't drop football and chase after you that night because that was the biggest mistake of my life. I'm sorry I wasn't brave enough then to admit what I wanted, but I'm brave enough now. Sam, I love you. Can we try again?"

The silence settled in the condo when his words were finished. Sam blinked. Was this really happening?

"Sam?" he prompted. He felt nervous. Had he misread everything? Was she going to say no?

"I have waited so long to hear you say that," she said finally, her voice emotional. "I love you too." He didn't even wait. He moved in, grabbing her face with his hands and kissing her with all he had. This was happening. He and Sam were going to finally be together. She pulled him in closer, still kissing him. Austin never wanted the moment to end. He had finally gotten what he just realized that he'd always wanted.

...

Cassie could tell right away when Austin got home that things had gone well. She searched his face.

"So? Did you do it?" she prompted. He grinned.

"I did it."

"Yes!" she exclaimed, fist pumping. Austin laughed. Diego bounced around at all the excitement in the air. Austin bent to pet him vigorously.

"Rhonda will be so pleased," Cassie commented.

"You can be the one to tell her," he smiled. Cassie loved Rhonda, and he knew a friendship was happening there. Rhonda was very much like the mother figure that Cassie needed. Austin was grateful she offered to stay in their lives. He laughed as Cassie pulled out her phone to text Rhonda. He knelt beside Diego then, rubbing the dog's ears.

"We did it, boy," he said. "We told her how we felt, and she reciprocated. I think things are going to be really good from here on out." Diego licked his face eagerly. Austin grinned. He felt so happy. He felt for once that things were going to be great. He couldn't wait to see Sam again at dinner. They had a lot to catch up on. He had finally let go of the guilt from ten years ago. It was time to start things fresh. The future looked good.

**The End**

* * *

**Thank you JeanneJam for your continued support/reviews on most of the stories I write. I always love hearing from you :)**


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